The Last Year
by Ryonite112
Summary: After the defeat of Voldemort at Malfoy Manor, Harry prepares himself to finish his final year at Hogwarts. Will the effects of the war still be strongly felt as he returns to the life that has escaped him for far too long?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: The Harry Potter characters and world belong to Jk Rowling. I do not own any of the characters or ideas aside from the plot._

_Warnings: This story disregards some of Book 6 and all of Book 7._

_Chapter 1_

The hot summer air was stale and unforgiving as Harry Potter made his way up the sidewalks of Privet Drive. He had been dying to get out of the Dursley's house this entire week. Aunt Marge had shown up again and, because of what happened when he was thirteen, he had been locked in his room all week.

It wasn't too bad being in his room alone. He had Hedwig and his trunk containing all of his wizarding wares. He was allowed to send letters, though only after dark, and he was actually given hot meals. They were scraps and left overs from the Dursleys meals, but they were hot none the less.

As Harry strolled down through the night air, he thought excitedly about the next morning. It was going to be his seventeenth birthday and he was going to escape this place. With the destruction of the horcruxes and the death of Voldemort, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were able to finish their final year at Hogwarts. They would finally be united with all of their friends and even have time to relax.

There was one thing that Harry was looking forward to above all else, he thought as the glint of red hair flashed through his mind and the memory of small, subtle scents of perfume. _What would he say to her? Would she take him back after everything he had done to her? _Harry thought to himself.

He arrived at the playground, his favorite place to be in Surrey. He liked coming here; watching the parents with their children, knowing all was safe and they could live a full and happy life together. It made him think of his parents. He thought about all of the stories Sirius had told him as he watched a blonde haired boy run past giggling as his father chased after him with the threats of a tickle battle. Those were the times that Harry wanted to think about. The picture of himself riding on his father's Broomstick forever implanted in his mind. The memories of his mother singing him lullabies, and sitting on the couch by the fireplace, as his dad put the star on the Christmas tree.

He was happy though. He could finally go on living his life, and bring his mother and father's memories closer and closer without so much hurt. The pain had somehow lessened since Voldemort was slain by his hand. It was as if a sort of redemption had occurred, and had wiped all of the fear, all of the hatred out of him. He still remembered that day…

** Malfoy Mansion was in ruins, large holes blown out of the sides, broken windows, and the front gates blown completely off of their hinges. Screams filled the air and the ever present sounds of battle resonated throughout the house. Harry was running down the hallway, using the increasing pain in his head as a guide. **

** As he rounded a corner he saw a Death Eater raise his wand sending a curse flying in his direction. Instinctively, Harry dove out of the pass of the curse and sent a spell flying back at his foe. It hit him dead in the chest, binding him where he stood. Harry lifted himself off of the floor and continued running, trying to find the source of the evil that lingered in the stale air.**

** He ran up a flight of stairs, tripping over rocks and, to his horror, a small body. **_**I cannot look now. I can't take my mind off of my goal. **_**He thought to himself as he burst through two large oak doors. **

** Standing in front of him, on the opposite side of the room was the source of all of his hatred. It was the source of all of the evil that lurked in every crevice of this mansion. It was Voldemort.**

"**Harry Potter…" The words came slithering out of his mouth. "I've been waiting for you. Prepare to die!"**


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: The Harry Potter characters and world belong to Jk Rowling. I do not own any of the characters or ideas aside from the plot._

_Warnings: This story disregards some of Book 6 and all of Book 7._

_Chapter 2_

He tried to shake this memory from his head as he stood at the gate of the playground, but he couldn't get it to leave his head.

**The air was thick, as if tightening around the two enemies. With a flourish of his wand, Voldemort sent two chairs flying in Harry's direction. He dove out of the way easily, firing back his own combination of spells. Curses flew from every direction as Harry dove behind a chair in the corner of the room. He jumped out of the other side, sending yet another spell towards Voldemort, which was deflected by a large silver platter that was being levitated in the center of the room.**

** There was a pause as Voldemort spoke, "Harry, Harry, Harry… You delay the inevitable. Come now, and join your parents. Don't make this harder on yourself then it already is. Come. And. DIE!" with that he sent another flurry of spells in Harrys direction. Harry dove and dodged most of them, but as he rolled onto the floor, one grazed his neck, cutting him deeply. **

** There was no time for Harry to heal himself as yet another spell crackled above his head. He stood up and sent three spells towards Voldemort to distract him as he ran towards the door. When he got there he took a sharp right and headed towards a hole in the wall. Darting through room after room he finally came to a door that led to the roof-top balcony. He had to hurry, he already feel Voldemorts presence growing nearer. He ran to the roof and pushed through the glass doors, stepping out into the summer night air.**

Harry pushed the memory away, not wanting to think about the times any more than he already had to. He turned away from the gate and started back towards the house. He was allowed out only on the condition that he get back before his uncle locked the house up for the night.

Once back inside, he made his way up the stairs and into his room. After locking his door, he pulled out the letter that he kept safely tucked in his wardrobe. It was the letter that Ginny had sent him at the beginning of the summer. He read over it again, despite already knowing every word by heart:

_Harry,_

_ Mum just told me about you coming to the burrow after your birthday this summer! Hermione has been here since the second week after school let out and her and Ron are already driving me up a wall. _

_ Dad thinks that they should just go and get married already, but every time he brings it up, mum starts crying and locks herself in her room. I agree with dad that its probably not the best thing to bring up._

Harry knew what she meant. Mrs. Weasley was probably still traumatized by almost losing her youngest son at the manor. He felt bad about it. If it wasn't for Harry, then none of them would have been put into any danger at all. Harry continued reading.

The only thing that is keeping me going this summer is the thought of seeing you for that last month before school starts. I am not the only one either. Ron has been livid that you weren't able to leave earlier in the summer. I don't understand the reasoning behind it but there is nothing we can do about it now.

I have to wrap this up now because Ron, Fred, and George want me to practice with them. I need to get out there before they send a bludger through my window.

I love you Harry. I cant wait to see you this summer.

Ginny

Harry finished reading, a smile on his face as he read the last sentence. He wondered when he would tell Ron and Hermione that him and Ginny had started dating again. It didn't matter now. The only thing that mattered, Harry noticed, was cleaning his room and packing before the Weasleys arrived in the morning.

It took him two hours to pack his trunk because everything was spread out over the room. When he had finished he sat on his bed and stared out of the window. Hedwig's cage was empty because he had sent her to the Weasleys before he had left the house. He couldn't read his books because they were all crammed into his trunk with all of his other possessions crammed in on top.

He sat there wondering how different things were going to be once he got back to school. He wondered if he was going to be able to adjust to the differences and whether he was going to be able to make the transition back into a normal school life when he had been away from it for so long.

Would people still look at him the same, or would they see him as a different person after he had gone off and deserted everyone. He hadn't meant to. The only thing that Harry wanted was to keep everyone as far away from the danger as possible, though it hadn't really worked out that way…

**Harry was lying on his side in the tent that Mr. Weasley had let him take before he had left. He was listening to the radio, trying to find any news that he had missed since the last broadcast. The only news still available was that of the names of the people that were killed over the past week. After the names were repeated one last time the radio went to static. Harry cursed under his breath and stood up. **

"**Whats wrong mate?" said Ron from the next room. **

**Harry grunted as a reply, which made both Ron and Hermione come into the room. They looked at him pleadingly, showing that they both wanted to help.**

**Harry sighed and reluctantly started to explain, " Theres no news; only the names of the people who are being killed because of me. I don't want to just sit around here all summer and listen to people dying without being able to do anything that will help them."**

"**Harry, this isn't your fau…", began Hermione, but Ron cut her off. "Harry knows its not his fault Hermione. I agree with him. We need to find the rest of the Horcruxes before too many people die. This has got to end and us sitting around here hoping to have a clue land in our laps isn't helping at all."**

**Harry looked at both of them. Ron was right. They needed to get out and search. They needed to start being active in this campaign before it worsened. **

**Just as Harry was about to respond, the radio crackled and a muffled voice appeared over the speakers. He leaned over and turned it up. A chill ran down Harrys spine as he heard the voice coming from the radio. **

"_**Harry Potter… you have escaped me for far too long. These people needn't suffer for your wrong doing. I don't need them to die so that you can keep eluding me. There is only one way for us to end it. That one way is you Harry… You will have only one chance to save these innocent people, one chance to meet me and show that you are more of a man than your father ever was. Show me that you will not die a coward. Show me that you care about these peoples lives." **_

**Voldemorts voice slowly faded out, and was replaced by a high pitch scream. It was a scream he knew all too well.**

**Ginny.**


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: The Harry Potter characters and world belong to Jk Rowling. I do not own any of the characters or ideas aside from the plot._

_Warnings: This story disregards some of Book 6 and all of Book 7._

Chapter 3

Harry thought back to the moment where he heard Voldemorts voice come over the radio. He remembered the anguish he felt when he heard Ginny screaming in pain. He had known that he had to do something, but didn't know how.

They had spent a month looking for the horcruxes, and had gotten most of them. They had destroyed them with Gryffindor's sword and only had one left. Voldemorts snake. They had decided that the best way to destroy it was to face Voldemort head on. They needed to be close to him to get close to the snake.

Harry looked out of the window again and saw that the sun was starting to rise. Had he really been thinking for that long? He needed to get ready to leave. Harry quickly showered and dressed, making sure that he was at least presentable for when the Weasleys arrived. After that he grabbed his trunk and Hedwig's cage and brought it all downstairs. The Dursleys were still asleep and he would like to keep it that way until he was gone.

He sat at the table before beginning to pace around. He just wanted to get out of the house as soon as possible. He missed everyone. He especially missed Ron, Hermione, and most of all Ginny. Harry was about to walk outside to cool his mind off when he heard a soft knock at the door. Opening it up he saw Mr. Weasley standing outside in his horribly mismatched muggle clothing.

"Harry!" exclaimed Mr. Weasley. "How are you?"

"I'm better now that I get to leave here." replied Harry happily.

"Well then, lets grab your things and head out."

With this they both took an end of Harry's trunk and lifted it out to the yard. In a matter of seconds they had apparrated and were walking up the porch steps into the house. All of the lights were off in the house, leading Harry to believe that everyone was still asleep.

When they opened the door however, Mrs. Weasley was already sweating over the stove making breakfast. As soon as Harry stepped into the house she turned around and ran over to give him a big hug.

"Oh Harry dear! We've all missed you so much!" she said between big sobs. "How has your summer been so far? And happy birthday dear!"

"I've been great Mrs. Weasley and thank you." Harry managed before she started speaking again.

"Sit down dear and tell us all about your summer." She said.

Harry sat down at the table and started explaining how his summer wasn't anything different from the previous ones, except for the fact that the Dursleys had allowed him out and for the most part avoided him completely. They continued for a while. Harry learned that Ron and Hermione were spending the night at Bill and Fleurs Cottage and would be back later that day, and that Fred and George still were spending all of their time at the joke shop.

What excited Harry the most was when Mr. Weasley had told him that Ginny had been excited to see him and that she had been constantly talking about him throughout the entire summer.

"I swear, sometimes that girl acts like you two have been dating all summer. We don't say anything to her though. We don't have the heart to." Said Mrs. Weasley

Harry smiled silently to himself, thinking about Ginny and the secret relationship they have been keeping the entire summer. He considered revealing it to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, but decided that it would be best to wait. Besides, with their relationship being a secret, they didn't have to worry about Ron always trying to storm in at the wrong moment.

As the morning went on, everyone started waking up. The first one to come downstairs was Hermione, who had apparatted straight into her bedroom so as to clean and get dressed. She greeted him with a squeal and a big hug, as Ron followed closely behind her. Ron gave Harry a punch in the arm and a grin. They all sat down and shared stories about their summers with Harry.

About an hour later Harry excused himself to go and take his things to Ron's room. He purposefully made sure that everyone was busy so that he could go alone. As he was passing Ginny's room, two small hands covered his eyes from behind. A small voice whispered quietly in his ear, "Guess who."

Harry turned around and their eyes met. He looked at them for a second and then grabbed her around the waist, pulled her close, and kissed her hard on the lips. They stayed like this, intertwined, until Harry heard footsteps coming up the stairs. They released themselves right as Ron came around the corner.

"Hey Ron", said Harry and Ginny in unison.

He looked at them both suspiciously before saying, "Mum told me to come get Ginny for breakfast, and to help you with your things Harry."

"Thanks Ron. See you later Harry", said Ginny with a small wink as she walked behind Ron's back.

Ron grabbed Harry's trunk and lifted it effortlessly up the rest of the stairs to his bedroom. He set it down slowly and then sat on top of it. He eyed Harry for a moment and then spoke, "So, when did you and Ginny get back together?


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: The Harry Potter characters and world belong to Jk Rowling. I do not own any of the characters or ideas aside from the plot._

_Warnings: This story disregards some of Book 6 and all of Book 7._

Chapter 4

Ron eyed Harry for a moment and then spoke, "So, when did you and Ginny get back together? Because the last I heard, you left her rather abrubtly last year." Harry was so taken aback by this blunt question that he didn't know how to answer.

Instead he just stood there, unable to make a comprehensible word. "How…" Harry began, but was interrupted as Hermione opened the door.

"Harry, we've known for a while. The way she talks about you practically boasts of the fact that you two are together again." Said Hermione nonchalantly as she sat down on the makeshift bed across from Rons. Harry looked at the both of them for a moment, and then gave up.

"We weren't trying to hide it from everyone. Ginny and I had talked about it for a while and eventually decided that we should wait until we got back to the school to say anything about it." Harry looked at Ron, hoping to gauge his best friends response to him hiding such a big secret from him. Luckily Ron looked up from the floor, smiled, and thumped him on the back.

"If you treat her wrong, Ill have to kill you mate!" he said jokingly, though Harry thought he heard a more serious threat behind the humor.

As he said this, Mrs. Weasleys voice was heard outside of their door calling them for supper.

The next two weeks passed as if Harry were in a blur. There were so many repairs to be done at the burrow that any free time Harry was awarded, was used for sleep.

On the rare occasion that Harry and Ginny had time to spend together, they spent it walking around the house talking. They were careful not to be too close during these walks, for fear that Mr. Weasley might catch them. It wasn't that they didn't want to tell anybody about their relationship, only the fact that they wanted time alone together and they knew that by making their relationship official, they wouldn't get it.

It was about eight o'clock on the Sunday before school was to start and Harry was outside admiring the sunset while practicing a new charm that makes the grass shorten. He hadn't quite gotten it down and every time he cast it the grass grew about five feet before bursting into green flames.

Harry had been letting his mind wander all day since he hadn't had much to do aside from packing his trunk. He had mostly been thinking about Ginny. The way her hair flows down her back, her soft face under his fingers as he stroked the slight freckles that Harry found irrisistable. He remembered the times during his sixth year when they were able to lay in the Gryffindor common room all night, talking, laughing and holding each other close.

He would give anything to have those days back again, hoping that they would hopefully resume this year. The only problem was that Ginny had a very heavy course load and the probability of her having enough time between her studies and sleeping were slim to none.

As he thought to himself, he felt a soft hand touch his shoulder. Out of instinct, he shot around, wand raised, his body poised to defend himself. It was only Hermione though, and Harry relaxed as he apologized to her.

"Its okay Harry", she said with a warm smile. "I should have said something to you before coming up."

Harry smiled back at her, happy that she understood his jumpiness. He wasn't used to letting his guard down, or even having a reason to not keep it up twenty four seven.

"Are you ready to go back tomorrow?", Harry asked as she sat down next to him.

"I mean, I guess so. I havnt really though much about it all summer. In a way I am happy to be going back to Hogwarts, but another part of me feels like it's a chapter of our lives that have come to a close. I cant really imagine all of the work we are going to have to do to catch up." She picked up a piece of burnt grass and played with it.

"I feel the same way. I don't think McGonagall will be too hard on us this year, though I wouldn't count on it." Harry looked at Hermione in the eyes with a serious look. "I need to ask you something. It has been happening all summer but I cant be sure what it means…"

"What is it Harry?" Hermione responded caringly.

"I… I've been having these dreams lately. They aren't normal." He took a deep breath and continued, "They're the same ones I had when Voldemort was alive. The terror, the pain, its all still there. I know he's gone, but shouldn't these dreams have died along with him?"

Hermione looked at him cautiously. Before she could answer him two loud cracks sounded out of the darkness next to them. They both jumped to their feet, wands at the ready. Looking into the now dark woods they saw two figures emerging slowly, both cloaked in black.

Knowing all too well what happens next, Harry shoved himself into Hermione, pushing her to the ground as a green curse flew over their heads.

"AVADA KADAVRA!"

* * *

><p><strong>Im sorry for the wait. Finals took all of my concentration. Im back home now for the holidays and should be updating every so often. <strong>

**Enjoy!**


End file.
